HONG KONG: Satellite Telecommunications company Asiasat and Singapore's MCN International have signed a lease agreement. As per this arrangement, the C-band capacity on AsiaSat 3S will be used to broadcast Channel NewsAsia digitally across Asia.
An official release informs that Channel NewsAsia is an Asian television news channel, providing the latest in news and information on global developments with Asian perspectives. Its content also includes lifestyle and analytical programmes on topics ranging from politics, finance, business, technology to health, food, travel and entertainment.
From 1 September 2003, Channel NewsAsia will completely switch over its broadcast to Asiasat 3S. The channel will no longer be transmitted from Palapa C2 and APSTAR IIR.
MediaCorp News' CEO Shaun Seow said: "This is another milestone for Channel NewsAsia since we started beaming to the region just three years ago. We're extending our reach to more parts of Asia and want to provide viewers, including professionals and executives working, living and investing in the region with the resource to get ahead. Today's sophisticated viewers demand more than just updated news. They want relevant information with the various nuances for them to make the right decisions." MediaCorp News is the holding company of MCN International.
Asiasat's CEO Peter Jackson said: "We are pleased to have Channel NewsAsia onboard Asiasat 3S. With Channel NewsAsia commencing their broadcast on AsiaSat 3S from 1 September, we will be offering an unmatched mix of news programming, ranging from global, regional and local perspectives. Channel NewsAsia will immediately enjoy the benefits of the enormous audience penetration of AsiaSat 3S reaching out to the numerous cable headends, rebroadcasters and individual television viewers across our huge C-band footprint".
Headquartered in Singapore, Channel NewsAsia reports from the major Asian and key Western cities, including New York, Washington DC, London and Moscow. In September 2000, it launched its second feed, Channel NewsAsia (International). Its satellite footprint stretches from the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia to Australia. Channel NewsAsia claims to be viewed in 14.5 million homes and hotels in 19 territories across Asia.
Channel NewsAsia is available on Asiasat 3S in C-band with the following reception parameters:
Transponder: 3H; 
Frequency: 3706 MHz
Polarisation: Horizontal
Modulation: QPSK 
Symbol Rate: 6 Msym/sec 
FEC: 3/4